Great news: Obama to delay the Keystone Pipeline for at least another six months

Par for the course, unfortunately, for our dithering President. And I’m sure that there will be another delay in six months for Obama to further "study" the most studied pipeline in American history.

The Obama administration’s decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline will not be made until at least June, a U.S. official said, which would delay the project for months and frustrate backers of Canada’s oil sands.

"We’re talking the beginning of summer at the earliest," said the source, who did not want to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the TransCanada Corp project, which has been pending for more than four and a half years. "It’s not weeks until the final decision. It’s months."

A series of steps still have to be taken by the State Department, where the decision will be made because the 830,000 barrels per day crude oil pipeline crosses the national border. The pipeline will link Alberta’s oil sands and North Dakota’s Bakken shale fields to refineries and ports in Texas.

With oil prices again on the rise despite the moribund Obama economy, now is not the time for further dithering by the community organizer-in-chief. A few days ago it appeared that Obama’s final excuse for delay had been removed when Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman signed off on the new pipeline route through his state. After that, even the far-left editorial board at the Washington Post was forced to admit that Obama was out of excuses, and that the project should go forward:

After years of federal review, there was little question last year that construction of the pipeline, which would transport heavy, oil-like bitumen from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico coast, should proceed. Thousands of miles of pipeline already crisscross this country. An environmental analysis had concluded that the risks of adding this new stretch were low. An economic review had found that Canada would get its bitumen to the world market — if not via pipeline to the gulf, then very likely by ship to China. Supply would make it to demand, one way or another…

The election is past, TransCanada has reapplied with a new proposed route, and this week Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) signed off on the plan, following an analysis from the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. The regulators found that the new route would avoid the Sand Hills and other areas of concern.

But that’s still not enough for Obama, who’s far more interested in enriching his wealthy cronies than securing safe, reliable sources of energy for America. Close to one year ago, Canadian talk show host Ezra Levant eviscerated Obama for his nonsensical delays over what should be a no-brainer for any president with even a trace of competence. Unfortunately for us, though, that excludes the current occupant of the White House. Levant’s analysis is as relevant today is it was last year, and it’s worth another look as we prepare for gasoline prices to once again head north to $4 per gallon … and beyond.